This invention relates to an apparatus and process for handling confections, such as but not limited to licorice and more particularly, for the removal of such articles from product boards, and the further handling of the confections preparatory to packaging the confections.
Licorice strips are made from a mix which includes among its ingredients flour, water, sugar and flavoring. Due largely to the presence in the mix of a substantial quantity of sugar, as the extruded licorice strips pass through the dryer they can become tacky and tend to stick to the board on which they are being transported. After confections are formed or extruded, they are then set aside for hardening or drying, as the case may be. Such products are supported on boards so that a number of product items may be set aside to cool or dry while additional products can be manufactured without a prolonged need to wait until the preceding products have set. The sometimes sticky product must then be scraped off of the boards in order to be packaged or to undergo additional processing.
Apparatus for removal of licorice from product boards is shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,657,466 and 4,755,096, revealing, inter alia, a spatula blade member for wedging product from a board. These inventions, however, relate to the handling of licorice slabs or strips from which licorice bites are cut. In the prior art sticky licorice bars intended for consumer markets have been manually lifted off of a board to achieve separation.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel method and apparatus which separates product items including rows of licorice strips from holding boards.
It is a further object of the invention to accomplish the above object whereby providing the capability to handle a continuous feed of product-containing boards and removal of separated product items, as well as the expulsion of boards from the machine.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a method and means which permits products to be staged for inspection at anytime during the process, with the capability of restoring full continuity of operation when processing is resumed.
It is another object of this invention to provide an apparatus which has means for and a method of alternating product orientation upon delivery of product to a product transport conveyor.
A further object of this invention is to provide a novel process and apparatus for separating and transporting product articles from a product board.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from a reading of the following brief descriptions of the drawings, detailed description of the preferred embodiment and the appended claims.